Argumentative Essay On Autistics

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The word “autism” comes from the Greek word “autos”, meaning “self. This describes a person who is removed from social interactions, in other words, “by him or her self”. When Autism Spectrum Disorder was first recognized in the early 1900s, researchers quickly labeled the condition as a form of schizophrenia. Individuals with autism were placed in isolation and received inpatient treatments designed for severely impaired and sometimes violent patients, all the while feeling as if they didn’t belong. In the 1960’s, researchers began to develop a separate understanding of autism as a disorder. Throughout most of the 20th century, however, treatments for autism mostly consisted of electric shocks and “behavioral change therapy” which focused …show more content…

America thrives by a cure-driven society, with healthcare costs skyrocketing because of complete ignorance to preventative care, and worship of the ubiquitous “miracle drug”. With industry groups like the notorious Big Pharma making trillions of dollars a year in drug sales, why not find a new disease to monetize? Cure culture weaves itself in our lives without us even knowing it, and while most disability groups fight for a cure, autistics fight over it. This brings us to the question: Should scientists develop a miracle cure for autism? The answer, surprisingly, is no. The development of a cure for autism would be costly, counterintuitive, and …show more content…

We all know the example of the autistic boy who loves trains, but what about veterinary medicine, graphic design, or quantum physics? These areas of fascination, often called “special interests” by the autistic community, often manifest themselves in a level of intelligence seldom seen in neurotypical people. Autistic individuals who possess high levels of ability or intelligence in one area and are known to have “savant skills” are called “savants.” The savant syndrome, despite its rarity, has been well documented in the medical and psychological research literatures for well over a century. (Wallace 229) Savant skills often are presented as amazing and exceptional, almost sensational levels. Hence, they often have been described in a way that has seemingly little scientific relevance. In contrast, what is becoming clear from the burgeoning literature is the potential relevance of savant skills not only to better understanding talent and skill development in general but also to [explain] models of intelligence, learning, and memory. (Wallace 243) In fact, many of the most important contributors to the knowledge bank of today’s world were suspected to be autistic savants. Physicists like Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton, genius chemists like Marie Curie, as well as

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